Casting assembly apparatus



United States Patent 2 Claims, 5 Drawing Figs. '9

us. Cl 199/61, 4 33551115 A 5 11,, 5,31,": 199/18i 199/44, 276,20 ingtype line castings and having an upper end adapted to be ll'lt.Clconnected to the discharge end of a type casting machine and Field ofSearch 199/18, 27, a lower discharge A retainer means normallyobstructing 4144 81, 95; 276/16, the passageway of the chuteintermediate its length is shiftable 20 out of said passageway. Poweractuated means is provided for withdrawing the retainer means from saidpassageway. Means References cued responsive to the passage of adischarged casting thereacross UMTED STATES PATENTS for actuating theretainer withdrawal means is positioned 567,256 9/1896 Sachs 276/20above and in the path of the casting.

l g I; 4 Q 24' 2 e inventor Rudolph Fermi Mishawaka, Ind.

Appl. No. 737,728

Filed June 17, 1968 Patented Dec. 29, 1970 Assignee Andrew Troeger &Company South Bend, lnd. a co-partnership CASTING ASSEMBLY APPARATUSPrimary Examiner-Ernest T. Wright, Jr. Attorney-Eugene C. KnoblockSUMMARY or THE INVENTION This invention relates to an improved .chuteused in apparatus for assembling printing type line castings andincludes an upper end adapted to be connected to the discharge end of atype casting machine and a lower discharge end for delivers ing typecastings in properly timed relation to a conveyor for transport thereofto an assembly table.'A retainer means normally obstructing thepassageway of the chute intermediate its length is shiftable out of saidpassageway. EPower actuated means is provided for withdrawing theretainer means from the passageway. Means responsive to the passage ofdischarged castings thereacross for actuating the retainer withdrawalmeans is positioned in thepath of the casting.

This invention is an improvement upon the printing line casting assemblyapparatus described in the Troeger and Fermi application, Ser. No.708,093, filed Feb. 26, 1968 and commonly owned. During operation ofsuch apparatus, a casting, upon being discharged from a type castingmachine, slides down a chute where it is deposited in an uprightposition upon a receiving and transporting means, such as a conveyor,which carries it to an assembly table, there to be properly assembledinto a printing column. During use of such assembly apparatus it hasbeen found that type castings would pitch over and mispositionthemselves upon the receiving and transporting means at the dischargeend of the chute. Upon investigation, it was found that the typecastings were attaining too great a speed during their passage down thechute, and that the inertia of the castings tended to cause them totumble or to pitch over' 2 DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Thepreferred'embodiments illustrated are not intended to be exhaustive orto limit the invention to the precise forms disclosedJThey are chosenand described in order to best explain the principles of the inventionand its application and practical use to thereby enable others skilledin the art to best utilize the invention.

as their leading edge contacted the receiving and transporting 1 meanswhich travels at a slower speed.

Therefore, this invention concerns the introduction of a retainer meanscorrelated to the discharge of a type casting from a type castingmachine and shiftable within said chute to momentarily detain or stopthe casting at an intermediate position along the chute during itspassage down the chute. Upon release of the retainer means'the castingresumes its travel in the chute at a speed low enough so that it isdischarged onto the receiving and transporting means in a manner toavoid tumbling and pitching thereof on said transporting means.

Accordingly, it is a purpose of this invention to provide an improvedapparatus for assembling'printing .line castings in which a casting asit proceeds down a chute is detained or stopped to insure travel thereofata low speed when discharged from the chute.

A further object is to provide an inclined chute having retainer meansinserted into said chute intermediate its length, means for withdrawingsaid retainer means, .and means positioned above said retainer meansresponsive to the passage of a casting thereacross for actuating saidretainer withdrawal means. Y

Other objects of this invention will become-apparent upon a reading ofthe invention's description.

. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS Other objects of this invention willbecome apparent upon a reading of the invention's description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING A preferred embodiment of thisinvention has been. chosen for the purposes of illustration anddescription wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of the improved apparatus forassembling printing line castings; 7

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line2-2 of FIG. 3

shown in FIG. '3 in A'downwardly inclined trough or chute 10 isconnected at its upper end to the discharge end of a linotype or similarprinting line casting machine 12 and is adapted to receive and transportcastings discharged from the casting machine. The lower end of chute l0discharges onto a receiving and transporting means, such as a conveyor14, which serves to transport the castings between spaced guides 16 toan assembly table (not shown) wherethe castings are sequentiallyassembled into printing columns.

Chute 10 includes a bottom member or web 18 and attach ed side flangesor members 20 and 21 defining a passageway 23. A transverse supportplate 22 is secured, as by welding, to the bottom web 18 of chute l0 andhas projecting parts 24 and 26 oppositely extending beyond each side ofthe chute 10. Plate 22 is preferably positioned along the incline ofchute l0 proximate to a bend spaced from the chutes junction withconveyor guides 16. An actuating means, such as a solenoid 28, ismounted upon projecting part 24 of plate 22 and has an actuator plunger30 which extends through an aperture 32 in chute side flange 20 andprojects laterally into chute passageway 23 as shown in FIG. 2. A plate34 is secured to plunger 30 and ispositioned between flange 20 of chutel0 and solenoid 28. Plate 34 projects above the adjacent portions ofchute flanges 20 and 21.

An anchor bar or pin 38 is secured to projecting part 26 of plate 22opposite the plunger 30 in parallelrelation to plate 34. Bar 38preferably extends above the level of the upper margin of chute flanges20 and 21.- A tensioned coil spring 40 spans chute 10 having one endconnected to upper margin 36 power source 42 and a control switch 44.Switch 44, as shown in FIG. 3, may be carried by the chute 10 adjacentits upper end and is normally urged to open position by a spring 47.Trip means 46 is deflected underthe weight of a type casting slidingthereon to close switch 44 and energize the solenoid 28 to withdrawplunger 30 from passageway 23 of the chute 10.

In operation, as a casting is discharged from the type casting machineand passes over trip means 46, switch 44 is closed causing momentaryenergizing of solenoid 28 and withdrawal of plunger 30 from chutepassageway 23, permitting any casting which has been detained by theplunger 30 to slide down chute 10. After a casting passes the trip means46, it returns to normal open circuit position under the influence ofspring '47, thereby deenergizing solenoid 28 and permitting plunger 30to be returned to its passage-spanning position by spring 40. Plunger 30is thus reinserted to span the passageway 23 before the type castingwhich has left the trip means 46 reaches the plunger 30 so that itcontacts plunger 30 and is detained thereby until plunger 30 iswithdrawn in response to operation of the trip means 46 followingdischarge of another casting from the type casting machine.

FIG. 5 illustrates an alternative position of switch 44 relative toplunger'30. In this modification trip means 46 is located I adjacentlyabove-passage to plunger 30. In operation, upon discharge from the typecasting machine, the casting proceeds down chute 10 until it contactsand is stopped or slowed by plunger 30 spanning passageway 23 of thechute 10'. At the same time the casting deflects trip means 46, closingswitch 44. Solenoid 28 is then energized causing the withdrawal ofplunger 30 from passageway 23 and fromcontact with the detainedcasting.'The casting then proceeds down chute l0, freeing trip means 46and opening switch 44. Solenoid 28 is then deenergized and plunger 30reinserted into passageway 23 under the influence of spring 40 to awaitcontact with the next casting.

The positioning of plunger 30 only a slight distance above conveyor 14insures that the type casting cannot attain a high speed of travel downthe lower part of the chute including the delivery portion 19 of thebottom of the chute 10 projecting between the conveyor guides 16. Theparts will be so positioned that a type casting will attain a speed oftravel substantially equal to the speed of travel of the conveyor 14.

It will be understood that the invention is not to be limited to thedetails herein given but may be modified within the scope of theappended claims.

lclaim:

1. In an apparatus for assembling printing type line castings dischargedfrom a type casting machine, an inclined chute defining a passageway andhaving an upper end adapted to be connected to the discharge end of saidtype casting machine and a lower delivery end, conveyor means forreceiving type castings from the delivery end of said chute andtransporting said castings to an assembly table, retainer means carriedby said chute and including a shiftable part projectable into saidpassageway, said retainer means positioned between said upper and lowerchute ends and including biasing means normally urging said retainermeans part into said passageway to engage a first of said castings andarrest its movement within said passageway, actuating means operativelyconnected to said retainer means for withdrawing said retainer meanspart from said passageway to release said first casting, a switchassociated with said actuating means including operating meanspositioned within said passageway between said retainer means part andsaid upper chute end responsive during the passage of a second of saidcastings thereacross for momentarily activating said actuating means tocause the withdrawal of aid retainer means part from said passageway andthereby release said first casting, the spacing between said retainermeans part and said switch operating means being sufficient to allowsaid retainer means part to be urged back intosaid passageway by saidretainer bi'asing means after said second casting crosses said switchopera 'ngmeans and before 'said second casting reaches said retain 2. Inan apparatus for assembling nting type line castings discharged from atype casting m hine, an inclined chute defining a passageway and havingan upper end adapted to'be connected to the discharge end of said typecasting machine and a lower delivery end, conveyor means for receivingtype castings from the delivery end of said chute and transporting saidcastings to an assembly table, retainer means carried by said chute andincluding a shiftable part projectable into said passageway, saidretainer means positioned between said upper and lower chute ends andincluding biasing means normally urging said retainer means part intosaid passageway to engage one of said castings and retard its movementwithin.

said passageway, actuating means operatively, connected to said retainermeans for withdrawing said retainer means part from said passageway torelease said casting, a switch as v

